Composite metal-and-wood tie for railway-tracks.



PATENTED DEC. 18, 1906.

J. P. O'CONNOR. COMPOSITE METAL AND WOOD TIE FORRAILWAY TRACKS.

APPLICATION FILED AUO.2,1908..

THE "mun: PETERS ca., wAsMmm-ulv. 1: c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN F. OCONNOR, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO W. H. MINER COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 18, 1906.

Application filed August 2, 1906. Serial No. 328,826-

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F. OCoNNoR, a I

citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Composite Metal-and-I/Vood Ties for Railway-Tracks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to ties for railwaytracks.

The object of my invention is to provide a composite tie of wood and metal for railwaytracks of a strong, simple, eflicient, and durable construction capable of being cheaply manufactured, which will unite in itself the cushioning advantages of the ordinary wooden tie and the strength and durability of the metal tie, which will have adequate provision for shrinkage or swelling of the wood members under variations in moisture without interfering with the snug cooperative relation of the wood and metal members, and by means of which a railway-track may be rapidly and conveniently laid, repaired, or replaced with little labor and expense, and by means of which side pressure of the train upon the rails will come diagonally upon the wood members.

My invention consists in the means I employ to practically accomplish this object or result-that is to say, it consists in a composite wood-and-metal railway-track tie com prising in cooperative combination a metal tie member extending between the rails and having at each end an enlarged base provided with a wedging angular or flaring socket with upright ends formed by transverse shoulders or flanges on the base portion, diagonally-arranged wood blocks fitting in said flaring sockets, and metal railseat or cap members having angularwedging or flaring sockets fitting and resting upon the wood blocks which fit between the upright shoulders or flanges of the enlarged bases of the metal tie member and provided with integral lips or hooks for securing the trackrails thereto, the sockets in the bases of the metal tie member being upwardly inclined, so that the wood blocks keep a slightly-inclined position, thus causing the lateral thrust of the train upon the rails to come diagonally upon the wood blocks.

My invention also consists in the novel construction of parts and devices and in the novel combinations of parts and devices herein shown and described.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l is an elevation of a railway-track tie embodying my invention, showing the track-rails in section. Fig. 2 is a plan view. Figs. 3 and 4 are cross-sections of the tie on lines 3 8 and 4 4,

respectively, of Fig. 1; and Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section through the base'portion of the tie at one end thereof on line 5 5 of Fig. 2.

In the drawings, A represents the rails of a railway-track, and B the metal tie member extending between the rails and provided at each end with enlarged bases B B, having flaring or wedging and upwardly-inclined sockets B to receive the diagonally-arranged and upwardly-inclined wood blocks C. Each of the enlarged bases B is provided with transverse shoulders or flanges b, extending at right angles to the sockets and forming the ends of the sockets B and serving as shoulders or end abutments for the ends of the diagonally-arranged and upwardly-inclined wood blocks C to abut against to hold the same in place longitudinally of the tie. The diagonally-arranged and upwardly-inclined wood blocks C are preferably square in crosssection, and the two lower sides of each of these blocks fit snugly against the inclined or flaring lateral walls I) of the sockets B D D are the rail-seat or cap members, on which the rails A directly rest and which themselves rest directly upon the diagonallyarranged and upwardly-inclined wood blocks C O and which are interposed between the upwardly-inclined rail-seat or cap members D and the enlarged bases B of the metal tie member B. The rail-seat or cap members D are each furnished with wedging or flaring and upwardly-inclined sockets D on the under sides, the inclined or flaring walls d of which fit snugly against the two upper faces of the diagonally-arranged and'upwardlyinclined Wood blocks C. The rail-seat or cap members D engage at their ends the wood blocks C, which fitbetwee'n the transverse flanges or shoulders I) b of the bases B, thus holding the members'D snugly in place longitudinally of the tie.

members D are furnished with horizontal ledges or sides D to receive the rails and with integral flanges or lips d d, arranged diagonally at opposite edges of the side D and adapted to engage and embrace the opposite flanges a a of the rail A. The free space or opening d between the rail locking or engaging lips d d e uals the width of the flangebase of the rai so that by turning the railseat or cap member D at an angle to the rail A it may be applied to the rail and then caused to snugly embracethe flanges of the rail by simply again turning the seat or cap member D at right angles to the rail. The rail-seat or cap members D may preferably be made of malleable or tough metal, so that the rail holding or looking lips d (2 may, if desired or when re uired, be hammered down tightly upon t e flanges of the railv The rail-seat or cap members D D are provided with end flanges or shoulders 11 to engage the ends of the diagonally-arranged and upwardly-inclined wood blocks C, which fit within the transverse flanges or shoulders I) of the bases B. By combining with the other parts upwardly-inclined wood blocks and making the sockets in the enlarged bases of the tie member and in the cap members correspondingly upwardly inclined the lateral or horizontal thrust of the train upon the rails is caused to come somewhat diagonally across the short wood blocks C, and thus prevents any danger of the rails spreading by splitting the wood blocks. The angle at which the wood blocks are upwardly inclined may be varied according to requirements. Ordinarily a slight angle is suflicient.

The metal tie members B are preferably provided with an integral supplemental socket B to receive an insulating-block C, of wood or other electrically-insulating material, and which serves as an end abutment for the rail-seat or cap member D at the inner end thereof. The rails A A are thus electrically insulated from each other, so that either one or both rails may be used as part of an electric circuit when desired.

I claim 1. In a railway-track, the combination of the track-rails with a composite metal-and- Wood tie comprising a metal tie member extending between the rails and provided with wood tie comprising a metal tie member eX tending between the rails and provided with enlarged bases at each end thereof, having wedging or flaring and upwardly-inclined sockets to receive wood-block members and transverse flanges or shoulders for the ends of the wood-block members to abut against, diagonally-arranged and upwardly-inclined wood blocks fitting in said sockets, and railseat or cap members having sockets on their under faces fitting the interposed wood blocks, said rail-seat or cap members having integral locking-lips engaging the flanges of the rails, substantially as specified.

3. In a railway-track, the combination of the track-rails with a composite metal-andwood tie comprising a metal tie member extending between the rails and provided with enlarged bases at each end thereof, having wedging or flaring and upwardly-inclined sockets to receive wood-block members and transverse flanges or shoulders for the ends of the wood-block members to abutagainst, diagonally-arranged and upwardly-inclined wood blocks fitting in said sockets, and railseat or cap members having sockets on their under faces fitting the interposed wood blocks, said rail-seat or cap members having integral locking-lips engaging the flanges of the rails, said locking-lips being diagonally arranged in respect to each other at the opposite edges of the rail-seat or cap member with an open space between them to receive the flanges of the rail when the cap member is turned at an angle to the rail, substantially as specified.

4. A composite metal-and-wood railwaytie comprising a metallic tie member provided with bases at each end having wedging or flaring and upwardly-inclined sockets to receive wood blocks, rail seat or cap members having wedging or flaring sockets to receive wood-blocks, and upwardly-inclined wood blocks interposed between and separating said metal tie member and said rail-seat or cap members, substantially as specified.

5. A composite metal-and-wood railwaytie comprising a metallic tie member provided with bases at each end having wedging or flaring and upwardly-inclined sockets to receive wood blocks, rail-seat or cap members having wedging or flaring sockets to receive Wood blocks, upwardly-inclined wood blocks interposed between and separating said metal tie member and said rail-seat or vcap members, said metal tie members being provided with transversely-extending shoulders or flanges to form end abutments for the wood blocks, substantially as specified.

6. A composite metal-and-wood railwaytie comprising a metallic tie member provided with bases at each end having wedging or flaring and upwardly-inclined sockets to 7. A composite metal-and-wood railwaytie comprising a metallic tie member provided with bases at each end and having wedging or flaring and upwardly-inclined sockets to receive wood blocks, rail-seat or cap members having wedging or flaring sockets to receive wood blocks, upwardly-inclined wood blocks interposed between and separating said metal tie'member and said rail-seat or cap members, said metal tie members being provided with transvers ely-extending shoulders or flanges to form end abutments for the wood blocks and with supplemental sockets to receive insulating-blocks for the inner ends of said rail-seat or cap members D to abut against, substantially as specified.

JOHN F. O'CONNOR.

Witnesses:

H. M. MUNDAY, v EDMUND ADoooK. 

